The
INSIDE Sheriff’s Log
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Winter Lecture Series
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Top stories of 2014 #1 Navy noise complaints
The noise from thousands of engine tests and training runs by new EA 18G “Growlers” and other planes at Naval Air Station Whidbey and Outlying Landing Field Coupeville has generated outcry this year, mainly from Lopez Island. The conflict has sparked many community meetings with the county council, Rep. Rick Larsen and representatives from the Navy. Islanders are asking that the Navy conduct sound testing in the islands, informing the community when there would be jet noise, restricting flights over the island and having Congress require the Navy to make a quieter engine. The noise may be muffled to a significant degree if navy officials heed a request of two senior members of the Washington state’s congressional delegation. Sen. Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen last week asked the Navy to consider a funding recommendation earmarked for construction of a so-called “hush house” hangar at Naval Air Station
Whidbey Island, groundzero in a rising controversy over the impact of noise created by air and ground testing of the naval station’s fleet of EA-18G Growlers.
#2 CenturyLink fined for outage
In August, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission released its investigative report on CenturyLink’s November 2013 voice and data outage in the San Juan Islands. In the report, state regulatory staff recommended the commission order more than $170,000 in penalties against the company. A penalty would be in addition to credits, totaling $271,000, that the company credited in February to the accounts of customers affected by the outage. The company has also committed more than $500,000 for system improvements to ensure back-up service in the event of a future outage. The investigation found that the 10-day service outage resulted from a severed under water fiber cable that separated the Friday Harbor switch
LOPEZ LOBOS Varsity Basketball: 1/7 vs. Highland Christian – Girls 4:30 p.m., Boys 6:00 p.m. ‘The Pack’
George Willis photo
Business classes
Islands’ eekly W
Contributed photo
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island anticipates arrival of 10 new Growler fighter aircraft, like the one shown right. from the CenturyLink network. The investigation also concludes that the company violated state laws and rules related to major outages, as well as requirements for communicating outage information to the public.
#3 Superintendent Evans resigns
In April, Superintendent Bill Evens turned in his resignation. To explain his reason for leaving he cited “some shortcomings of late in our financial oversight functions, resulting in significant negative impact upon staff, and financial resources… I am deeply sorry that these shortcomings have happened to the district on my watch and as the leader of the organization, I accept responsibility for them.” Evans has served as superintendent of the Lopez Island School District from 2005-09, and most recently from 2011 to present. After submitting his resignation the school board asked him to stay with the goal of restructuring the district office and eventually hiring a new superintendent with more financial expertise.
Evans offered to go on a month-to-month contract to give the school board flexibility in restructuring and in replacing him. The school board eventually released a statement in October that they did have a serious financial processing issue a year ago. “We discovered that issue, fixed and reported it and hired NCESD to do this work ongoing. Moreover, recognizing the changes we’ve made, the state auditors put us back on an every-otheryear audit schedule indicating they have confidence in our new approach,” wrote a board member in a release. Evans now plans to stay until the end of the school year.
#4 Voters approve Lopez School bond
In November, voters approved Lopez Island School District #144
2015
Wellness Guide
Publishes Jan. 28, 2015
Wellness Guide is a Publication of the Weekly, Sounder and Journal
VOLUME 38, NUMBER 1 • JANUARY 6, 2015
Lopez Center
Spirit Award Potluck
Saturday, January 10th Andy & Dolly Holland Spirit Award Potluck 2014 recipients
Sales Deadline January 8
Carol Steckler & Al Lorenzen
Call 376-4500 and book today!
5pm potluck, 6pm program & music Bring a potluck dish, place settings & cutlery
Proposition No. 1 concerning a $9.6 million capital projects bond with 63.36 percent of the vote. Only 36.64 percent opposed the bond. Taxpayer cost is estimated to be an additional $0.30$0.35 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property, or approximately $124 a year for a $400,000 house. This tax impact reflects an estimated interest rate that continues to be attractive and below historical averages. According to school officials, Lopez School District facilities are falling apart, and district officials have been worried about keeping up with safety, health and educational standards. The bond represents significant revisions from the $16.5 million renovation project proposed in 2013, which did not meet with voter approval. This new bond is approximately 40 percent less than the original request, but officials say it will provide sufficient funding for critical upgrades and renovations to meet basic safety, health and educational standards. By reducing originally proposed new additions and site improvements, trimming back on refurbishment of classrooms and eliminating original plans for water catchment for irrigation, the district is able to present a responsive revised request to the voters.
#5 New sheriff
Deputy Ron Krebs, a first-time candidate for public office, ousted incum-
bent Rob Nou in a race for San Juan County sheriff in November. Krebs, an eight-year veteran of the force and former deputy guild president, collected 3,372 votes of 5,211 ballots tallied on election night, earning 64.71 percent of the Nov. 4 early election returns. For first-term incumbent Rob Nou, the election night results signal a decided turnaround from the same race four years ago. He drew 66 percent of the vote in 2010 to become the county’s first new sheriff in more than two decades. Four years later, Krebs made leadership and communication, or the lack of it, the centerpiece of his campaign. He vowed to mend and to restore lines of communication within the department and with other agencies that regularly deal with the sheriff’s office. He pledged to create a stronger bond between the department and the public it serves as well.
#6 Orca whales are dying
With four deaths in the last 12 months and not a single surviving newborn for more than two years, the fate of the southern resident killer whales grew even more precarious in 2014. Then this winter, J-32, a pregnant female of the southern resident orca whale community, was found dead. Her passing sparked a call to action for a whale protection “no-go SEE TOP STORIES, PAGE 5